Head Trip
by Menamebephil
Summary: Sequel to Leader of the Pack. When Raven fails to leave her room for two days, Robin and Beast Boy investigate. They encounter a little more than they reckoned on...
1. Quoth the Raven: “Stay out of my room”

Head Trip

**Head Trip.**

**Chapter One: Quoth the Raven: "Stay out of my room."**

Robin stared at the metal of the door, nerving himself to knock. A glance and a slight jerk of the head indicated that he had decided to confer that honour upon his team mate. Beast Boy sighed, but complied. Well, this _had _been his idea.

* * *

"_Hey, Robin?"_

"_Yes, Beast Boy?"_

"_You seen Raven?"_

"…_No, why?"_

"_Well, she's not been seen all day, and I was kinda getting worried."_

"_She's probably in her room."_

"_For forty-eight hours? She hasn't meditated that long since ol' Red came to town."_

"_Have you two had an argument again? I know that usually means she has to-"_

"_Nope, everything's fine between us, has been for ages, thank God. I'm just worried, and only you've got the security override-"_

"_Alright, let's go check on her."_

* * *

Beast Boy knocked on the door, with only mild trepidation. Girlfriend or not, it was never wise to interrupt Raven's meditation.

"Raven? You there? _Mpenza_?"

Robin stifled a grin at Beast Boy's pet name for Raven. He _had_ to get a translation for some of the things he said to her. Being bilingual was the only way to ensure relative privacy in a tower full of very nosy and very _bored_ superheroes. Even then, Cyborg was hell bent on finding a Swahili Language program that was compatible with his brain.

Beast Boy breathed deeply, and his eyes widened suddenly.

"Something's wrong."

"What?" Robin noticed that Beast Boy sounded almost frantic.

"She's not in there, and I smell _copper_."

Copper. That had to mean…

Robin punched in the security override as quickly as he could, and dashed into the room. A worrying scene met his eyes, and Beast Boy swore.

The window had been cut, a circle of glass lying on the floor. There was little disturbance in the room itself, although the Tragicomedy statue had been knocked over, and a large stuffed chicken had fallen on the floor, presumably from one of the bookshelves. What was more worrying was the dark stain on the carpet, and the drips that led from it to the window. Beast Boy was squatting by it before Robin could say a word.

"It's hers." Beast Boy said, in a hollow tone.

Robin decided that he _did not_ want to know how Beast Boy knew what Raven's blood smelled like, and began issuing orders.

"Go get Cyborg. We need to find some clues as to how this happened. I'll see if I can find anything unusual." Robin ran his practiced eye over the room. _Well, unusual for Raven's room._ He walked over to the dresser, and began examining some of the items. A book, padlocked and covered in evil looking runes, a wizened old hand that Robin assumed (and hoped) was a monkey paw, a statuette of a dragon, a small stuffed toy of a raven, but emblazoned with the trademark four eyes of Trigon, an unfinished cream cheese and smoked salmon bagel…and an ornate mirror.

The edging around the reflective surface was covered in runes that seemed to twist when he looked at them out of the corner of his eye, but fell still when he stared at them directly.

"Dude! Put that _down_!" Beast Boy screamed, lunging towards his entranced leader.

Too late. As Robin turned towards his subordinate, a huge claw extended from the mirror, grabbing him by the waist. Beast Boy clutched desperately at Robin's hand, but was yanked into the mirror along with him.

* * *

"Duude…uncool." Beast Boy sat up and clutched at his head. Robin stared around him in utter bewilderment.

"Where are we?"

"We're in…" Beast Boy paused. "Well, it's got some Azerathian name, but since Azerathian makes Japanese seem as basic as binary, I won't try to pronounce it, just in case I call it 'Son of a promiscuous goat' or something. Basically, it translates as 'Nevermore', for some reason."

Robin frowned. "That doesn't answer my question." Robin hated being left in the dark.

"It's like a pocket dimension inside Raven's head."

"We're inside Raven's _mind_?"

Beast Boy looked uncomfortable. "Kinda. You know how Raven can't show too much emotion?" Robin nodded. "Well, this is where she keeps them."

"Her _emotions_?" Robin gawked, trying to find out what exactly Beast Boy meant.

Beast Boy nodded. "She gets _real_ mad when anyone goes in here."

Robin shook his head. "You've done this before, haven't you?"

Beast Boy nodded. "And the only way to get out is through this big swirly door, miles away."

Robin groaned. "Is this place dangerous?"

Beast Boy looked sidelong at his leader. "We're inside the mind of a half-demon. What do _you_ think?"

"Hooray."

**

* * *

**

**This first chapter's short, I know. I wanted to set the scene before delving into the story proper. This tale was inspired by the following words from RabulaTasa's profile:**

"**I'm an unashamed Nevermore addict, but people really need to become more creative with how they use it. I mean, the place is **_**crawling**_** with possibilities, but I keep on seeing the same stale uses of Raven's lovely little lookalikes. ****Do something you've never seen before- it's fun!**

**Well, I hear and obey. And Beast Boy **_**will**_** speak Swahili in this story. Mostly swearing, with the occasional fluffy comment. It sounds cooler in Swahili.**

**-MNBP**


	2. The Happy Home

Chapter Two: The Happy Home

**Chapter Two: The Happy Home.**

Robin slammed his arm into Beast Boy's chest, causing him to stop short. Wordlessly, Robin pointed at a gnarled tree on the rocky path. In its branches, there sat a group of black birds, each sporting four red eyes. Beast Boy blanched, and glanced at the stone arch that was a few feet beyond the tree. Pulling Robin back, out of earshot of the tree, Beast Boy spoke.

"Alright. That archway means we can get to a new area of Raven's mind, but those birds aren't friendly."

Robin frowned. "Area?"

"Each of Raven's emotions has got a little area of her own."

"'Her'?"

"The emotions look just like Raven, but with different cloaks. They're basically what Raven would be like if she were always in one emotional state."

Robin nodded. "Well, I say we make a break for it. We should be close enough."

With that, Beast Boy shifted into a cheetah, and stood next to his leader. "In three…two…GO!"

The pair bolted, Beast Boy gaining the lead. Immediately he was mobbed by the creatures, and let out a muted growl of pain. Robin ran on, swatting at any attackers with his staff, and the pair dived through the archway.

* * *

Robin looked around in bewilderment at the field he found himself in. He was so entranced by the strangeness of the scene- pink grass, pink flowers, pink _pine trees_- that he completely failed to register a floating (pink) strawberry until it smacked into the side of his head.

"Hey! Robin! HI!!"

Robin turned, to see who was hailing him, and saw something he had always thought would be a sign of the apocalypse.

Raven- the cold, aloof, dignified sorceress- was wearing _pink_. And _giggling_.

"This would be an emotion, I guess?" Robin asked Beast Boy, who was standing behind him.

"Yup. That's Happy."

"Garfield!"

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "Uh oh." Suddenly he found himself engulfed in a hug of Starfire-esque proportions. Despite being flailed around like a rag doll, Beast Boy managed to glare at his leader, who was smirking on the sidelines. "What?"

Eventually, Beast Boy got free, utilising knowledge he had gleaned from Raven- namely, the fact that she was ticklish.

"Ra- err, Happy?" Robin began.

"Yup?" Happy beamed at the multicoloured teenager.

"Do you know where Raven is right now?

Happy's face fell, and one of the floating strawberries exploded. "I don't know."

Robin frowned. "Would anyone in this place know?"

Happy beamed. "Knowledge! She'll know!" Robin glanced sidelong at his companion, who shrugged. "Her realm's a fair ways away though, so be careful!"

"Okaay…thanks, I guess." Robin started to walk in the direction that the emotion had pointed to, but Beast Boy had to endure another glomp before he was free to go.

Beast Boy glanced at his leader, who was smirking again. "Aww, does Robbie-Poo want a hug too?"

Robin didn't dignify that with a response.

* * *

Raven clutched at her head, as the world swam into focus. She was _really_ getting tired of waking up in strange places.

This time, however, she was alone, and trapped in a small stone room, the only source of light a flaming torch set in a bracket high above her head. Wasting no time, she sent out a tendril of energy towards the heavy wooden door. Against all her expectations, her powers seemed fully functional, and the door cracked under the assault. Frowning, she tried another blast, this time stronger. This yielded the required result, and the door was blown off its hinges. Raven cautiously stepped out into a stone corridor, and arbitrarily turned left.

After a short while, she was confronted with another door. She tried it, and was unsurprised to find it locked. Again, she blasted it, and again, the door took more power to remove than it logically should have. Once more, she was faced with a choice- straight on, or right. She went straight, after tossing a coin.

Twenty minutes later, and Raven was thoroughly frustrated.

She had been wandering this maze, with no goal in sight, and each time she came across a door- which was far too often for her liking- she had to use a little more power to destroy it. Her mind was in turmoil, she had a nasty headache, a cut on her leg- and Azar alone knew how _that_ had got there, and she was growing more worried by the second. She _had _to find out what was going on.

Drawing herself into a cross-legged position, Raven focussed her mind, intent on sending a message to her friends.

"_Gar? Gar? Where are you? Can you hear me?"_

Nothing. Maybe he was asleep- after all, she had no way of knowing what time it was, with no windows. She decided to try Robin- after all, if it was the middle of the night, he would probably still be up, and ever since she had gone into his mind, she had found it far easier to find it again. She had even done it by accident once or twice.

"_Robin? Are you there?"_

Again, silence. She _really_ needed to meditate.

* * *

Robin stepped through another archway, and found himself back on the rocky road. Looking behind him, he saw Beast Boy stepping through the arch, but saw no sign of Happy's realm, only more winding road.

"Weird." Robin muttered to himself, but was distracted by the worried look on Beast Boy's face, as he looked at the sky. Robin followed his gaze, and saw ugly-looking stormclouds in the starry sky. "I'm gonna guess that isn't normal."

"Well, it wasn't like this last time, if that's what you mean!" Beast Boy shouted over the rolling thunder. Robin was about to reply when a bolt of black lightning ripped from one of the clouds, tearing the pathway asunder.

* * *

Raven swore creatively as she blasted another door into the ether, and found herself staring at a corridor. No choice this time. She took a few steps forward, and stepped over a splintered wreckage…of…a…

Oh A_zar_! She was back at her cell!

Raven forced herself to keep a cool head, and stalked back into her cell. She couldn't put off meditation any longer. She was running on the last of her power reserves, and her emotions were going insane.

Taking a deep, composing breath, she began her journey inwards.


	3. Woe is Me

Chapter Three: Woe is Me

**Chapter Three: Woe is Me.**

Beast Boy jumped back as a bolt of lightning struck the pathway, shattering it into fragments. He watched, distraught, as his leader was sent floating away on an island of debris, but was unable to help him, distracted as he was trying to dodge the black lightning. The bolts thundered past his small island, and Beast Boy knew it was only a matter of time before he was hit.

Suddenly, the clouds began to disperse, and Beast Boy could make out the figure of Raven, some distance away, in her typical meditative pose.

"Raven!" With a strangled cry, Beast Boy shifted and flew towards her. As he approached her island, he corkscrewed in midair, and shifted back into his approximately human form.

"Raven!" Beast Boy waved a hand in front of her face, to no avail. When that had no discernable effect, he tried yelling in her ear as loudly as he possibly could. No dice. So engrossed was he that he didn't register Robin rappel his way over to where the empath sat. As Beast Boy grew more distraught, he knew there was only one avenue of action left, extreme as it was. Hesitantly, Beast Boy grasped Raven's shoulders and shook her hard.

Or, at least, tried to. The moment his hands touched her, he knew there was something indefinably wrong, and when he exerted pressure, he was _extremely _confused to find that she was completely immovable. Her cape fluttered in the wind, but when Beast Boy tried to grasp it, it continued to move as if unfettered, dragging Beast Boy's hand with it. In the spirit of inquiry, he removed a glove and gently ran his hand over Raven's cheek, pretending not to notice Robin start at the sight of his claws.

Her skin felt as warm and smooth as it had ever been, but even on that level, it was as if Beast Boy's hand was as insubstantial as smoke.

"I think she's meditating." Beast Boy finally vocalised.

Robin nodded, looking around. "Look. The pathway's mending itself."

As Beast Boy turned, he saw that the various fragments that made up the path were slowly reassembling. "I guess that brainstorm really did a number on her mind."

Robin saw that Beast Boy was torn, and made an executive decision. "Beast Boy, we've got to keep moving."

"But Raven-"

"Is fine. Look, we've got to find out where she is, and you know how long she can meditate for. If we wait for her to wake up, it might be too late."

Beast Boy sighed. "Alright." With a backward glance, Beast Boy flew back towards the rapidly reassembling path, with Robin in his claws.

* * *

Starfire stormed through the tower. Where _was_ everybody? She looked in on Robin's room, but it was deserted. Just like the gym, the evidence room, the kitchen, Beast Boy's room…

She looked in Cyborg's room, only to find a note tacked to his "bed".

**Gone to the store. Back later.**

**-Cyborg.**

Starfire looked at the note, perplexed. 'Later'? What did he mean by 'Later'? Starfire had heard that word to describe both a few hours and a few weeks, and Cyborg had given no indication as to which one he meant. And where were the others? Had they gone with him? If so, why was she not informed?

Eyes glowing green, Starfire strode off, determined to find _someone_. This called for desperate measures. Time to brave Raven's room, and her potential demonic fury.

* * *

After passing through the next portal, Robin looked around wildly, expecting to see a repeat of the dramatic changes seem in Happy's realm. Instead, the area looked, apart from the fact that the path had widened into a large platform, exactly like the path.

"Did it work?"

Beast Boy shrugged in response, and took three steps forwards, only to be thrown back as a huge wall sprang from the ground. Identical walls sprang up all around them, presenting the pair with a choice of two roads.

"Aww…_kinyeshi_."

"Been here before?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Timid's maze."

"Timid?"

"Like, Raven's shy and weepy side."

Robin tried to visualise this, and failed miserably. "Well, let's get moving."

"Wait…" Beast Boy looked around expectantly. "Damn. She's not here."

"Is that important?"

"Well…she led me through last time. If she's not here, we're reduced to wandering around blindly."

Robin frowned. "Alternatively…" He threw a birdarang at the maze wall with a shout. When it exploded, and the smoke cleared, the wall was as undamaged as ever."

Beast Boy shook his head. "You gotta play by the rules, dude."

Robin sighed. "Let's move, then."

* * *

Timid ran around the corner, panicking that Robin and Beast Boy would head into the maze and get lost because she was late, and then they would hit a dead end and they would be angry at her for not showing them where to go and then when she did arrive they would be angry at her and they would _shout_!

Just as she was about to arrive at the entrance, she heard the sounds of an aggressive cry, and an explosion. Startled, she fell backwards, and sat there until she was sure that the two were gone. There was no way in hell that she was going near them if they were lobbing explosives around.

* * *

It had been over an hour, and seven dead ends. Robin was irked, to put it mildly. When Beast Boy clapped his hand over Robin's mouth, he scowled at him, but stopped when he saw Beast Boy's ears twitching around, trying to locate the source of some noise Robin couldn't hear. With Beast Boy looking over his shoulder, he didn't see a grey figure detach itself from the wall and float ominously over to Robin.

* * *

Cyborg was strolling down the isle, examining his itinerary. Get groceries? Check. Rent this evening's movie? Check. Buy exorbitant amounts of sugar-based products? Check. Flirt with till girl? Not yet…

He was interrupted by a call from Starfire. Grumbling, he put his bags down, and answered.

"Yeah, Star?"

"You must return to the tower at once?"

"What, why?"

"Beast Boy, Robin, and Raven are all missing, and I have found something terrible in Raven's room…"


	4. Tangled Threads

Chapter Four: Tangled Threads

**Chapter Four: Tangled Threads.**

Robin elbowed Beast Boy in the ribs, drawing his attention to the spectral apparition before them. Beast Boy turned, and momentarily tensed, before relaxing again.

"Hey, Timid. What took ya?"

Timid merely cringed, ashamed to admit she had been scared away by Robin's gung-ho attitude.

Beast Boy shook his head. "Okay, never mind." He smiled, and extended his hand. "You think you can show us the way out?"

Timid nodded slightly.

"Awesome." Beast Boy grinned. "Let's get moving."

* * *

"Alright, so what's the situation?" Cyborg asked, irked at having his Sunday afternoon interrupted.

Starfire didn't answer, but merely dragged the metal man into Raven's room and gesticulated listlessly. Cyborg's one eye widened, and he rushed over to the dark stain on the floor.

He dipped a finger in it, and a little stuck to the tip of his index finger, where he automatically began a chemical breakdown. Cyborg frowned when he noted the abnormally high sulphur content.

"It's blood, and it's Raven's."

There was no shock from Starfire, only resignation, as if she had been expecting this information, and had long since resigned to it.

"Come on, we've got to check the security cameras, maybe they picked up something."

"But where are the others?" Starfire asked, as she began to reorder Raven's room, stooping to pick up a fallen vanity mirror.

* * *

"…And that time I told you that superglueing Robin to a traffic light was a stupid idea? I'm sorry for that too." Timid said, walking in front of them. Robin shot a glare at Beast Boy, who grinned sheepishly. "And Robin? That time I thought that you being superglued to a traffic light was hilarious? I'm sorry for that too. And that time I told Starfire that your favourite colour was pink as revenge for that time you surprised us with dawn training, and convinced her to buy you pink outfits for your birthday? I'm sorry for that too."

"It's alright, I for- wait, when was that last one?"

Timid answered without turning around, in a quiet voice. "Three days ago."

Robin suddenly panicked at the thought of what would happen on his birthday next week. If he _didn't_ wear the clothes, Starfire would be hurt. But if he _did_…

Beast Boy couldn't help it. He burst out in a fit of laughter that actually brought him to his knees. Unfortunately, this left his posterior a prime target for Robin's steel-toed boot.

Timid smiled slightly at that, but squeaked with fright when a bolt of power snaked from her forehead and detonated a rock.

"Timid, how long is it going to be?" Robin asked, as Beast Boy theatrically recovered.

She didn't answer in words, but simply touched a seemingly random spot on the wall, which opened to reveal the path. "Go left to reach Knowledge's realm. It's the second door."

"Thanks." Robin replied, stepping over a surprisingly large amount of rubble. "Alright, let's go." Without a pause, Robin walked into the nearest portal. A few moments later he backed out, grinning like a madman.

"Second door. Right." The two walked on in silence for a moment, before Robin spoke again. "Beast Boy, why did that last one I saw have a large stuffed chicken?" Beast Boy didn't answer. "You know, there were a lot of pictures of _you_ on her walls. Some of them were quite…_interesting_. I hope they don't represent any memories or anything like that, or I'll need to give you both The Talk sometime soon."

Beast Boy gave his eloquent reply by punching his leader on the arm and walking considerably faster. Robin followed, chuckling.

* * *

"But why, Cyborg? It is only a mirror."

"Oh no it ain't. …Was it on the floor?"

Starfire nodded.

"Ah crap. Well, I think I know where Robin and Beast Boy have gone…"

"Where? Should we not get them?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Trust me. Following them would be a _bad_ idea."

"So what can we do?"

Cyborg walked out of the door. "We can survey the tapes; see if we can see what happened."

* * *

Cyborg slammed his fist down on the console. "Damnit!"

Starfire peered over his shoulder. "What is it, friend?"

Cyborg scowled at the computer as if it had insulted his grandmother. "There's a ten minute period missing from the surveillance tapes."

"And that ten minute period is exactly the one we need to find?"

Cyborg nodded.

"_Blotaar nostregash._"

Cyborg waited a moment while his knowledge of Tameranean was brought up, and was surprised to find he knew the translation. All he'd really bothered to commit to memory were the swearwords. That proved ample in this situation.

* * *

"Master, she's stopped meditating." The blonde figure cringed as the figure on the throne turned his baleful, cyclopean gaze towards her.

"Excellent. Then we can continue." The voice sounded smug. Self satisfied. Hypnotic. "Soon her frustration will be too much for her to contain. Prepare our warriors. The time to march is almost upon us."

"Yes, Master." The blonde choked out, and crawled away as quickly as she possibly could, pathetically grateful to have escaped with her skin.

When he was sure he was alone, the man stood, and surveyed the situation. So far, everything was going perfectly. Although he had long ago vowed never to do something as crass and cliché as laugh demonically, he allowed himself a contented smirk as he examined plans for the New World.

They mostly involved screaming.


	5. Brave and the Bold

Chapter Five: Brave and the Bold

**Chapter Five: Brave and the Bold.**

Robin glanced around the next realm, and saw it looked like a cross between an obstacle course and a dojo. His kind of place, but hold the green.

"Hooya!" Robin rolled to his side, drawing his staff as a green-cloaked figure smashed into where he had been mere seconds ago. He swung sideways, but found a grey hand catch the end of his bo and increase its momentum with a push, sending Robin into a three-sixty spin that almost sent him to the floor. As he recovered he ducked to dodge a kick to the head, and grabbed the figure's ankle. Grinning at the sudden panic that was evident on the emotion's face, he pushed her leg upwards, slamming her on her back. Before she could react, he was pointing his staff at her throat, holding it in an apparently relaxed manner, but ready to bring it down on her head, should she prove to be violent.

"Let me introduce you to Brave. Robin, Brave. Brave, Robin."

"Hi." Brave grinned, ruefully.

Robin frowned. "Why did you attack me?"

"'Cause it looked like fun."

Robin grunted in response, and allowed the emotion to get up.

"So, whatcha doin' in here?" Brave addressed Beast Boy.

"His fault." Beast Boy pointed at Robin, who merely scowled.

"Well, if Raven's going to leave enchanted portals into her mind just lying around…"

"Anyway, we're looking for Knowledge."

"What you want with that poindexter?"

"We want to know what's happened to Raven."

"Oh." At this, Brave looked pensive, and several of the weights that were scattered around the gym began to float, and some of them shook ominously. "Well, I'm sure Knowledge will deal with it." The weights clattered to the ground. "She should be a little way along. But you might have to get through someone else first…"

"Who?"

Brave handed him a clothes peg in response.

* * *

Cyborg rubbed his head, and sighed. "I can't find anything. No footprints, no fingerprints, nothing."

Once he had found his beloved security system had been tampered with, he had done a full forensic examination of the security room. He had been sorely disappointed.

"Then what could have done this?"

Cyborg exhaled. "Nothing. It's like they just magicked the tapes away."

"And why is that such an unbelievable concept?"

Cyborg opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it again. "Good point." He eventually managed.

Starfire frowned. "Now, what can we do with this information?"

"Well, we can research any magic-using organisations in the area. That'd be a start, at least."

Starfire nodded. "What do you require me to do?"

As if on cue, the alert sounded. "Light. Do you think you could deal with him?"

Starfire cracked her knuckles. "It will not be a problem."

* * *

Raven awoke from her meditation feeling slightly better- her turbulent mental state had been giving her a headache. Her improved mood was shattered when she stood up and walked to the doorway, only to be impeded by a stabbing pain in her left leg, and a worrying dampness in her boot. She looked down, to see that her wound was still bleeding.

Surely her powers should have healed it by now? But the wound hadn't even clotted, and was still bleeding freely. She watched as the blood dripped onto the stones, and was shocked when it seeped into the stone and disappeared.

Raven found herself experiencing an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time: fear. It began in the pit of her stomach, and sent an icy hand to clutch at her heart. She turned back to the doorway, and smashed the door down.

Wait. Hadn't she already done that? Raven looked left, and saw that the door she had destroyed had repaired itself. _Or someone came and repaired it…_

At that thought, that she might not be alone in this labyrinth, Raven lost it. With a stifled cry, she ran down the corridor, desperate to find a way out of this madness.

* * *

Brave walked them through her realm, past a wall of what looked like trophies, small gold statuettes, which on closer inspection turned out to be statues of every enemy Raven had ever had a hand in taking down. Robin picked up Slade's model, and scowled at the little figurine.

"Technically, we never actually _beat _this guy."

Brave shrugged. "We got close enough for me. Here's my personal favourite." Brave gestured upwards, and Robin laughed lightly.

Mounted on the wall high above the rows of statues was a gold model of Trigon's head, on a plaque.

"And over here?" Beast Boy waved his hand towards what looked like a row of dartboards, each with a picture of a different enemy on it.

Brave scowled. "Guys that actually _beat_ Raven." She picked up a dart and threw it at the image of a smirking Adonis.

"Bitter much?" Beast Boy joked.

Brave smirked. "Raven can hold a grudge."

"Don't I know it."

"Anyway, Brave" Robin said, not a little perturbed to see an image of _him_ on one of the dartboards, albeit in Slade's gear. "How far is Knowledge's realm?"

"Not far. You need to get through another two areas, though."

"Who?"

"Rude and Anger."

Beast Boy paled. "Anger? Wasn't sh the one who…"

Brave nodded. "Yup. But it's okay, Dad can't influence her any more. Just, ya know, tread carefully." Beast Boy nodded.

"What did anger do?"

"Well, last time I was here, with Cyborg, Anger got possessed by Trigon, or something. She was wandering around breaking stuff."

"Wait, _Cyborg_ was with you? When exactly was this?"

"You remember when we first met Dr. Light? Well, right after then."

Robin though back. So _that _was why Raven had acted so strangely. "That was quite a while ago. Any reason you didn't tell me?"

"Rae's a pretty private person, ya know."

Robin nodded.

"Well, here we are. Good luck!" With that Brave shoved both Robin and Beast Boy through the doorway, deeper into Raven's mind.


	6. Act Real Rude and Totally Removed

**Chapter Six: Act Real Rude and Totally Removed.**

"Fools! You think you can outshine _me_?"

The teller simply sighed, and waited for the Titans to arrive. As she waited, she pondered her career so far. Every job she had ever held had been attacked by a supervillain at some point or other, and she was tired of it. It was getting to the point where she was almost unemployable. The insurance companies _hated_ her.

However, she _did_ have a lot of experience with the Titans, and could time exactly when they would arrive. Three…two…one…

The doors of the bank were kicked open to reveal Starfire, and she did _not_ look happy.

"Ha! The Tit…an. What, am I not worth your time any more?" Light's voice had taken on an affronted tone, but he rallied quickly. "Well, your efforts shall do nothing but reflect my brilliance!"

"Please, surrender now, and you shall not be hurt!" Starfire's reputation- already formidable- had become terrifying in the past few months. The teller didn't know

why, but about three months ago the Titans had suddenly stepped up their game, for reasons unknown. It was definitely giving lower-class villains pause, though.

"Ha! You think you can scare me?"

Well, it gave the ones with half a brain pause, anyway.

"I do _not_ have time for this!" Starfire screeched, as she barrelled towards Light, punching him in the jaw.

He did a quadruple backflip- quite a feat- and landed on his rear, unconscious. Starfire restrained him, bending a chair leg until it served as makeshift handcuffs, and flew off without a word.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing that assaulted Robin was the _smell_, like someone had left piles of dirty laundry on the floor until the things growing in them had discovered the wheel. He turned to Beast Boy, intending to share that witty aside, but stopped when he noticed his team mate had collapsed.

_Enhanced senses. Poor bastard._ Scrabbling in his pockets, Robin found the clothespeg Brave had given him, and clamped it on Beast Boy's nose.

"Thags, dube."

Robin chuckled.

"Whad?"

"Nothing, let's go."

"Dube, _whad_?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Raven smashed her way through another door, she suddenly felt light headed, and a rush of dizziness sent her tumbling to the floor. She lay there gasping for some time, and forced herself to calm down.

_I'm losing blood. I can't afford to run around like this_.

She glared at the cut on her leg. It wasn't bleeding profusely, but a slow and steady drip that was becoming more of a danger with every moment. She had to find a way out, and _fast_. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

_We have company._

Raven scowled at Wisdom's voice. Visitors in Nevermore?

Drawing her legs under her, Raven began to chant.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin looked around the noxious landscape, and saw something that seemed completely out of place.

Amongst the piles of rubbish there was a large sofa, the orange twin of the one in the main room of Titans Tower. On it slumped the mistress of this area, watching a small portable television whilst drinking a can of soda.

"Rude?" Robin stepped forward.

His only response was a one fingered salute, which Rude delivered without taking her eyes off the screen.

"Can you tell us where the next door is, please?"

"Go fuck yourself." Rude crushed the can, and threw it idly at Robin's head, where it bounced.

"Could. You. Tell. Us. Where. The. Next. Door. Is. _Please_."

"Hmmm…well, you take a left past the piles of old newspapers, then a right past the Huge Mysterious Pile of Gravel, then you go straight up your own ass, then ask for directions."

Robin turned to his teammate. "You want to have a go?"

Beast Boy stepped forwards, cracking his knuckles. "Jusd wadch ad learn."

"Pleeeease tell us where de door is. Pleeeeeease!"

"Mmm… No."

"Pleeeease?"

"No."

"Pleeeease?"

"No."

"Plllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

"No."

Robin watched with faint amusement as Beast Boy got down on his knees and issued platitudes to the emotion, all impeded by the clothespeg.

"I'll be your friend."

"No."

"Why?"

"'Cause I don't want to."

"Why?"

"'Cause that's what I'm like."

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm an emotion."

"Why?"

"'Cause Raven's powers cause emotions to manifest themselves in a pocket dimension, where she has more control over them."

"Why?"

"'Cause otherwise Raven's powers would blow things up all the time."

"Why?"

Rude sat up and glared at Beast Boy. "Look. If I tell you where the door is, do you promise to fuck off and never come back?"

Beast Boy nodded.

"Alright then." Rude produced a crudely drawn map, on what appeared to be a spotless handkerchief.

"Don't worry about the handkerchief, I never used it."

Beast Boy swaggered back to his leader with his prize. "Works every time."

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"…Okay, we take a left here, right between Pizza Box Mountain and the Huge Ball of Belly Button Lint. Then, all we have to do is make it through the Swamps of Unfinished Macaroni and Cheese and we're at the door." Robin took the lead with the map. "Do you think this is the lint?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "Do. Id's a ball of dwine. De lind's over dere." Beast Boy pointed at a huge fuzzy grey ball.

Robin was silent for a while. "That's disgusting. So, left here, then."


	7. Anger Management

Chapter Seven: Anger Management

**Chapter Seven: Anger Management.**

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Cyborg slumped back in his chair as Starfire flew in. "Oh, hey. Any problems?"

"None whatsoever. It was most refreshing to alleviate my frustration by punching someone." Starfire said brightly.

"…Okay." Said Cyborg, wheeling his chair away from her slightly. "I guess now we've got a little breathing time I can explain where BB and Rob are."

"It would be helpful to know, yes."

"Okay." Cyborg pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think of a way to explain this in words that made sense, to him if no one else.

* * *

"Beast Boy?" Robin said, flopping down onto the stone pathway.

"Yeah?" Beast Boy replied, removing the clothespeg now that they had escaped Rude's realm.

"Remind me never to call your room a mess again."

"'Kay." Beast Boy slumped next to him, clearly exhausted. Robin couldn't blame him. After all, his oxygen intake had been severely stunted, and they had been doing a _lot_ of running back there.

Robin felt the need to break the silence. "If you had told me this morning that I would spend the day running away from swamp monsters that inhabit lakes of cold macaroni and cheese in the head of one of my errant teammates, I'd have thought you were crazy." Robin looked sidelong at his emerald teammate. "Well, in your case, even if you'd said 'good morning' to me, I would have questioned your sanity. You know, just 'cause it's you."

Beast Boy grinned, getting his breath back. "I'm not the one who thinks that traffic light colours are ideal for sneaking around in."

"What's the next area?" Asked Robin, clear to avoid further discussion of his apparel.

Beast Boy paled. "Anger. _This _oughta be fun."

"But I thought Trigon-"

"Trigon's got nothing to do with it. Think of Raven in the worst mood you can possibly imagine."

Visions of fire and brimstone filled Robin's head.

"Now imagine a being made solely of that concentrated emotion."

The fire became spurting fountains of magma, while the brimstones were disregarded in favour of hunks of raw plutonium.

"Now imagine that you're that being, and on top of all that, no one likes you."

Robin's imagination blanked out. "Okay. This could be bad. You should be safe…-er, right? What with being her boyfriend?"

Beast Boy stared at Robin for a moment. "Obviously you've never had a girlfriend."

"Have too."

"Of course you have. Now, here's my idea."

* * *

"This is…confusing." Starfire stared at the drawing Cyborg had helpfully sketched.

A doodle of Raven with an oversized head was on a circle marked ??, and a thought balloon was attached to her head, with Cyborg's two symbols representing Beast Boy and Robin (a green monkey head and a traffic light, respectively) drawn in the bubble. To the right of this was a drawing of Titans Tower, where her symbol (a yellow star) and Cyborg's symbol (an overly complicated, and overly flattering, drawing of the teen himself) were situated. A sketch of a hand mirror was with them, with a dotted line leading from it to the thought bubble. The tower had a broken window, and a second dotted line was drawn from the smashed window to the circle the picture of Raven sat on.

"The drawing is helpful, though."

* * *

"'Run like a motherfucker'? That's your grand plan?" Robin sounded incredulous.

"Dude, you are listening to the world expert on escaping a pissed off Raven. If you hide, she'll find you. If you trap her, she'll phase out. If you apologise…actually, that sometimes works, but only on the real Raven. Running is our only shot. Maybe she'll find something else to be angry about that'll distract her."

Robin rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't like it, but, like you said, it's out only shot. I just hope the next door is easy to find."

Taking a deep breath, Robin plunged into the next realm, Beast Boy hot on his heels. After a while, Beast Boy spoke.

"You know, at least the portal's easy to spot."

Robin had to agree with him. They had an unparalleled view of the doorway to Knowledge's realm. Across what looked like an ash-strewn wasteland covered with innumerable statues, locked in combat. Of the owner of this realm, there was no sign.

"We'd better get moving." Robin broke the silence, and began to walk down the hill to the frozen battlefield below.

"Who's this guy?" Beast Boy asked, pointing at a statue of a man with a lionskin draped across his shoulders, and hefting a heavy looking club.

"My guess would be Heracles."

"Uh huh, uh huh. And this guy?" Beast Boy gestured at a bald, goateed man wearing nothing but a loincloth and a scowl, with the two curved swords in his hands attached to his wrists by heavy chains.

"I don't know, and I don't think I want to."

"He was called Kratos." A voice hissed, and Beast Boy and Robin froze. "And what in the name of the eight greater demons are you doing here?" Beast Boy had heard Raven in a temper enough times to know that this fuse was short.

_Run_, Beast Boy mouthed. Robin took his advice.

They ducked and weaved through the statues, desperately trying to lose the red incarnation of demonic fury that was on their tail. Robin threw a handful of smoke pellets over his shoulder, which confused Anger for long enough for him to grab Beast Boy by the scruff of his neck, and hurl him through the portal, Robin following a few seconds later.

* * *

Beast Boy looked up at their surroundings, the culmination of their efforts, and said only one thing.

"I was kinda expecting it to be a library."


	8. Explanations and Reunions

Chapter Eight: Explanations and Reunions

**Chapter Eight: Explanations and Reunions.**

"I was kinda expecting it to be a library."

"Originally, it was." A fussy voice said. "But somewhere along the line Raven's subconscious stopped connecting libraries with repositories of information, probably around the time of her sixteenth birthday. Since then, my realm has been undergoing a process of transmutation."

Robin looked around and was surprised by the familiarity of the setting. On one wall, a huge computer was situated, with various files displayed on the screen. Another wall was made entirely of cavities, in which rested a plethora of ancient scrolls. In the centre of the room was a large desk, on which several of the scrolls were laid, along with a cup of coffee in a mug which cheerfully informed the world that while mental illness was not requisite for employment in this particular sector, it would certainly add points in your favour. A picture of Beast Boy was also in evidence, in a yellow frame.

"You would be Knowledge, right?" Robin asked, noticing a yellow-clad emotion sitting at the desk.

"Evidently." She replied curtly. "And I surmise that you wish to know where Raven has gone."

"Err…yeah, I think." Beast Boy replied, deciphering Knowledge's comment with a little difficulty.

"I regret to inform you that she has no idea."

"Oh. _Tomba_."

"However, although she does not consciously remember it, I _can_ show you who abducted her. I believe that this will be helpful." With that, Knowledge walked over to the computer and brought up a video file. It showed the view from Raven's eyes as she turned around in her room to see several red-robed figures floating outside the window. The glass was cut with a burst of crimson power, and the figures rushed into the room. Raven had no time to react before one of them pushed their palm into her face and everything went dark.

"And there you have it."

Robin scowled. "Where is she now?"

"I'm in some kind of labyrinth." A voice said from behind them, and Beast Boy's ears perked.

"Raven!" Beast Boy rushed over to her, and she smiled. Robin felt a tapping on his shoulder.

"I believe that they would appreciate a little privacy." Knowledge said. Robin nodded, and followed her.

"Time is short." Knowledge said. "Raven is becoming steadily weaker. She is losing blood, and her powers of healing appear to have no effect."

Robin nodded as Knowledge outlined Raven's situation. "It looks less than promising. Whoever has Raven has an agenda, that much is clear, but there is a lot in this situation that makes little to no sense."

Robin nodded. "And there's no way you can determine where you are?"

"None spring readily to mind, although I shall continue to look for a method."

"Is there any line of communication we can employ?"

Knowledge frowned. "As morbid as it sounds, there is one. If the mirror cracks, then it is a sign that Raven has died."

Robin scowled. "Is there anything more…useful…we can use?"

"No."

Robin sighed, and looked back towards Raven and Beast Boy, who were talking quietly together. As Robin watched the pair, he couldn't suppress an unwelcome feeling: jealousy.

Not that he had any designs on Raven, far from it. He respected her too much for that. She also (although he'd never admit it) scared him a little. No, Robin's feelings sprang from Beast Boy. The fact that he was comfortable and confident enough in his emotions to engage in a relationship galled Robin, who was still engaged in a long-running and very awkward dance with the tower's resident alien.

Ever since Tokyo (the closing events of which Robin put firmly down to the effects of ink fumes, if anyone was interested) the pair had been in an awkward kind of stasis. They were both clearly interested in each other, but she was content (_willing_ may have been a better term) to wait for Robin to get his act together.

It had been four months, so far.

With a glance at Raven and Beast Boy, Robin made a decision. As soon as this mess was over, he would sit down with Starfire for a long, and hopefully productive, talk. There, easy. He snapped back into reality as Raven and Beast Boy walked towards them.

"…We'll be there soon, 'kay?"

Raven sighed. "I know. I'm just a little freaked out, is all."

Beast Boy pulled her towards him, and talked into her hair. "_Ninapenda wewe._"

Raven smiled. "I know." Somehow, the words were less intimidating, in another language.

Beast Boy smiled. "Well, see you in the flesh soon then."

The two embraced again, briefly, before Beast Boy followed Robin out of Knowledge's realm.

--

"So, find out anything useful?" Beast Boy asked as the two made their way to the forbidden door.

Robin sighed. "Not really. All we've got are a bunch of guys in red robes, that look like they're using magic."

Beast Boy shrugged. "It's a start. We just need to look for them."

Robin nodded, and stepped through the spiralling mass that led to Raven's room. Beast Boy looked at the portal before following, and was struck by the resemblance to the headboard on Raven's bed. Shaking his head to clear it of this completely random train of thought, he stepped through after his leader.

--


End file.
